ABOUT THE LINDMAN FAMILY

Av: Hans Teke

ARVID OF LINDRUM - THE FIRST LINDMAN

In Sweden there are several Lindman families but ours originally came from the parish of Örhem in the county of Älvsborg, today it is Ölsremma in Västergötland. In 1670 a boy Arvid was born at the farm Lindrum. He was studious and by age 24 he had registered at the upper secondary school in Gothenburg. The Lindman name (taken from the farm where he was born) dates back to this time. In 1699 Arvid registered at the University of Lund and studied to be a clergyman. Later he became vicar of the village Mjöbäck in Västergötland, and married Maria Elisabeth Wekander. They had 12 children and three of the sons - Johan, Olof and Sven - lived to be adults. Each one became the progenitor of a family branch. Arvid died in 1741.

As far as we know, two of the family branches have living descendants. Admiral Arvid Lindman, who as a Conservative served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1906-1911 and 1928-1930, belongs to the branch which originated with the older son Johan. Salomon Lindman jr. was a descendant of Sven, the younger son. That family line goes as follows:

Admiral Lindman and Salomon jr. were third cousins as Vicar Arvid Lindman was the great great grandfather of both. In 1911 Admiral Lindman honored his older namesake with a memorial in the old church yard of Mjöbäck, where the vicar once worked.

In 1999 the Family Society Lindman of Lindrum was founded. By then a family crest (shown in the menu on the left) was adopted by Bengt Lindman, a forest officer (descendant of Johan Lindman); all descendants of Arvid Lindman are permitted to use it. The three leaves on the linden twig in the paw of the wolf represent Arvid’s three sons. The Lindman motto: Ex stirpe genus omne futurum florescet – from the root all the future family will grow.

NOTES

As you can read, the Lindman family is a well researched one. Johan Alexander Lindman (son of the adopter of the family crest) has compiled the most detailed chronicle (see below) about members of the family born with the Lindman name. This continuously updated document has been most important in the creation of this site.

However, there are some realities wich must be taken into account when looking back at our family history. For example, errors can easily occur when facts are being transferred from one source to another. Primary sources are often church records and similar sources; all are subject to misinformation. So in reality, details should be taken with a grain of salt.

Keep in mind too that official fatherhood does not automatically equate to a biological one. As we know, women have often born children who were not legitimate. Strictly speaking then, it is the women's side wich provides the most reliable information.